Our second class is coming to a close. Although I feel great relief in knowing I have a little time and a much needed break prior to taking flight into my third class, I'm hoping this break continues to find me thinking, blogging and reflecting. A suggestion provided by Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik, on his page How to Create Your Eportfolio, is to "set a very small goal or mini-habit of writing 50 words a day on your eportfolio/blog." A goal I can handle! Dr. Harapnuik states, "within 18-66 days (the average range of time it takes to establish a habit)" mini blogging will become part of my normal day to day activities.
During our course EDLD 5303, we have had time to consider and work with various platforms. However, in all of the readings and weekly assignments, the message was clear. Wordpress. We read about the COVA concepts of choice, ownership, voice and authenticity. Wordpress. We read about creating significant learning environments (CSLE). Wordpress. Speaking of CSLE, The Arts Integration for Deeper Learning in Middle School video is pretty incredible. Wordpress. Dr. Harapnuik's post Arts Integration for Deeper Learning: Its the Context and Environment that Matter (2012, Oct. 12) pointed out that the magic really is in the application of the learning to a different context and environment. Wordpress. We read about CSLE and COVA together. Wordpress. All the Wordpress hype actually stressed me out. It made me feel guilty, bad and like I wasn't living up to the expectations of the course. I previously vlogged about how I finally found comfort in my decision to use Wix, but as time marched forward, the self doubt has kicked in again. Was I supposed to use Wordpress? One of the overarching principles of the course has been choice, but the clearly expressed favored frontrunner seemed opposite of the program goals. I went back to the Eportfolio page on Dr. Harapnuik's It's About Learning site and reread these statements. "Eportfolios can and should be simple to understand and, more importantly, simple to create and maintain." I also rewatched the video clip featuring Seth Godin and Tom Peters on blogging. The sentiment was blogging is free and changes your life. When reading the numerous pages, posts and mentions of Wordpress' superiority, one of the pieces that stuck out to me was the fact that I was being asked to choose a platform that may cost some money each month for the rest of my life. Not a lot of money, but a few dollars each month idealistically forever. I understand that having an easy domain name is important. Short and sweet website names are easy to Google and type. But right now, this portfolio is primarily and selfishly for and about me. My learning, understanding, growth and reflection. At this point in time, I am not focused solely on branding myself. If that changes and my future as a digital leader dictates that I consider how I brand and advertise myself, maybe I'll eat my words and kick myself in the pants. But for now, this site is authentic, mine and on Wix.
Over the last several weeks, my classmates and I were asked to take a gander at some other Examples of Eporfolios as we developed our own. I learned a few things about what I liked and looked for in an eportfolio site. I have learned that I really enjoy looking at classic, clean, unbusy/uncluttered sites. But I like making things colorful, fun and themed. So I've been working toward finding a balance/happy medium between the two. I've learned that some sites have terrible ads (burn all that belly fat and look who was arrested) that detract from the flow of the site. I've also seen lots of sites in the provided examples that are no longer actively updated (I hope mine does not suffer a similar fate), don't work at all, or are so full of rabbit holes I don't know where or how I managed to land on the page that I did. I'll definitely have to take rabbit holes and purposeful planning into account as my site grows. I do want to connect my current work to my past and future work, but I don't want a never ending series of tunnels that seemingly lead to no where. **I fully recognize that this post alone is full of rabbit holes. I'll try to keep them in check in the future. Pinky promise.
In Dr. Harapnuik's (2014, Sept. 30) post Our Work Doesn't Have to be Obtuse to be Important, the very last sentence "do you prattle on with words when a video, infographic, illustration or other form of media is the right tool to use?" caught my attention. As I have been working on my portfolio, stressing about choosing a platform other than Wordpress, and wanting to write significant and worthwhile blog posts, I reminded myself that I didn't need to stress about writing an earth shattering essay . A picture, graphic or video may be exactly what I need to express myself. During this eportfolio process, I am definitely learning and venturing waaaaaay outside my comfort zone not only by building an eportfolio, but also by having shared it with some colleagues at work and my classmates. Recently, I found myself anxiously awaiting feedback from both my professor and my peers on my weeks #4 and 5 assignments where we shared our portfolio progress to date. It's funny how my mindset has shifted from what grade did I get to what learning have I shown. In 2012, Dr. Helen Barrett put together a list of Frequently-Asked Questions about Electronic Portfolios. She ended her list with comments on grading. She states "Philosophically, I believe that teachers grade the individual artifacts that represent student learning that are placed in a portfolio, but the overall portfolio is simply assessed as "pass" or "not yet" (more work needed)." Our weeks #4 and 5 feedback helped me to know where some work was needed. I've made some updates, added to pages, changed settings and continued to blog. This particular post has been in the works for days. I kept finding myself reaching for my phone while I was reading books/articles to jot down some ideas and thoughts. When I was finally ready, I sat down and began to process, reflect and expand on my notes. I've got my family in on the action too. Evelyn's original digital artwork, Birt, has made an appearance. That kid is pretty punny. Bird, Bert, Birt. I'm looking forward to continuing the adventure and getting back up in the air.
References
Barrett, Helen. (2012, March 3). Frequently-Asked Questions about Electronic Portfolios. Retrieved from http://electronicportfolios.com/faq.html
Edutopia (Producer). (2012, August 29). Arts integration for deeper learning in middle school. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/cPbKUF2zbyw
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (2012, October 12). Arts Integration for Deeper Learning: Its the Context and Environment that Matter [web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=3133
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). COVA. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). CSLE. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=849
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). CSLE + COVA. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6988
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). Eportfolio. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5973
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). Examples of eportfolios. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5979
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). How to create your eportfolio. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6065
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (n.d.). It's about learning. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/
Harapnuik, Dwayne. (2014, September 30). Our work doesn't have to be obtuse to be important [web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5244
Video Blogging for Business (Producer). (2012, September 30). Seth Godin & Tom Peters Interview. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/V4rq6Md3eHw
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